Leaving the Sea Behind
by Circa91
Summary: Percy spent his whole life knowing he would follow his father into the Poseidon faction and ride the waves for the rest of his life. But what happens when the test that he was positive would affirm that belief disagrees. Percy will suddenly be thrown into a world where he is unprepared and unwanted. AU (set in our timeline but post an apocalypse).
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own PJO or any of its characters. Just this completely new (I hope) setting and some future OCs. Rick Riordan owns everything else!**

* * *

Chapter 1

I undid the green, patterned tie that, for the seventh time, I had been able to completely fail in tying. I knew, deep down, that this was definitely possible. I'd worn a tie before, though not for several years, and it didn't look like this unintelligible mass of fabric.

"Percy," dad called my name from the living room, "are you ready yet?"

With a heavy sigh, I gave it up for a lost cause and left my room. As I walked down the short hallway, I stopped before the photo of my mother.

"I wish you had lived to see this." I placed my fingers, first on my lips, then on the glass of the framed picture. "Don't worry mum, I'll do you proud."

My father stepped through into the hallway, saw what I was looking at, and joined me in front of the photo. He copied my earlier action before speaking.

"Oh how I miss Sally, she would be proud of the man you have grown into." He looked down at me, then noticed what I had conjured around my neck. "Well except your complete inability to tie a tie. Let me fix that."

My face flushed a little at the embarrassment of my father having to do this for me. While my father took the fabric through a complex series of movements, I thought at least my brother didn't see me while this...

"Awww. Lil' Percy needs daddy to make him pwetty for the ceremony." Triton sneered from the door to his bedroom. As the blush rose in full to my cheeks, my brother moved over to kiss our mother's picture in the same way I had.

"Shut up Triton, I've never put on a tie before. I tried to guess what you had to do, but it worked out as well as when you tried cooking." I returned his snide comment, trying to not reveal quite how embarrassed I was at the situation.

Triton laughed as he recalled the situation. "I only burnt it a little. If you hadn't been out playing with your little friends, it never would have happened. You were the one mum showed how to cook."

Dad stood up, apparently finished with my tie. "Triton, it was scrambled egg. If you hadn't been distracted by that young Aphrodite girl..."

"I think you ruined any chance you had with her when the pan caught alight." I guffawed as I remember coming home to my brother furiously scrubbing the pan, trying in vain to remove the charcoaled eggs from the bottom of the pan.

"I never did see her again..." Triton mused.

Our father interrupted our conversation by reminding us of why we were stood in the hallway.

"Percy, it's time to go. You don't want to be late to the choosing do you?"

I shrugged. "We already know I'm going to be a seaman... mum was, Triton is and you _are_ Poseidon!"

The head of any discipline took the name of an ancient Greek god, one who was related to that discipline. My father was Poseidon because he was the head of fishing and all sea-based transport. My friend Annabeth's mum was the head of teachers and builders, so she was Athena.

"While I have to agree it is very likely, it may turn out your affinity is not in my faction. Regardless of what it is, take it..."

Triton finished the thought, "you don't want to be factionless for the rest of your life."

I shuddered at the thought belonging to that mass for the rest of my life. If you refused your affinity, or decided you wanted to leave after joining, you were made factionless. The factionless were the grunt workers; they were hired by the factions to do anything that did not require expertise. The years of hard labour had a way of eating away at your existence; the look in the eyes of some of the factionless used to give me nightmares.

"Don't worry, I'd never choose that for myself." I said with feeling.

"Glad we have that sorted, now let's go!" Dad called back over his shoulder; he had already left the hallway and was standing in the porch getting his shoes on.

I sighed and made to follow him, while my brother looked at us silently but with a smile.

* * *

We arrived at the building where the ceremony was to take place, and my father was called away by the other council members who were here to watch their children's testing.

"Hey, Percy, long time no see." Nico di Angelo called over to me, and I made my over to where he stood with the rest of our group. Nico was the son of Hades and my cousin. My uncles had both made their way to the top of their respective professions (my grandmother would have been so proud) but the three of them really had a bit of a grudge match going on. Nico had opted out of wearing his usual skull t-shirt and jeans, instead wearing black trousers and a black open necked shirt. Nothing, however, would make him stop wearing the skull studs and necklace. If he didn't follow his father into Hades I would be surprised.

I proceeded to greet everyone and then Jason spoke up. "So, you ready for the formalities?"

His sister, Thalia, rounded on him. "Formalities? They are going to decide the rest of my life! I can't even join dad like you probably will."

Jason and Thalia Grace were twins and their father was Zeus. Jason was wearing a blue pinstripe suit; it was probably one of his dad's, as that was what he usually wore. Thalia, however, had not deigned to remove her usual punk clothing; the only nod to the importance of today's ceremony was replacing her usual black leather jacket with a black suit jacket, even then she had rolled up the sleeves.

"Hi Percy." Said the girl beside Thalia. As always, she looked stunning. Today she had worn a steel grey dress that matched the eyes she had inherited from her mother. Annabeth was the one girl in my circle of friends who wasn't related to me; as a result I had always been very aware of her. I would probably ask her out soon, if I held onto my courage this time. I had dodged the question several times over the years, but this time I would do it for sure. She was the only girl I could see myself spending my life with.

"Shall we head in then?" She continued when I didn't return the greeting, causing my cheeks to colour for the second time today.

I tried to reply but it felt like there was an apple stuck in my throat, how good she looked had really affected my ability to give a coherent answer. I looked at my cousins for help, but they just stood there with expressions of supressed mirth at my reaction to Annabeth. Realising there was no help coming; I nodded, not trusting my voice enough to speak.

We entered the glass fronted building and took our seats alongside the other teens who were to be judged. We chatted about nothing in particular until a bell tolled; this signified the start of the ceremony, and the leaders of each faction stood and made their way over to the stage. Each stood next to one of the 13 pedestals that signified which faction you belonged to. The light on top of which would shine when the entrant in question had been determined, after that you would leave and meet the representatives the faction had sent to greet you.

Zeus stood next to the first light. If this shone your affinity would be for solving disputes between men. This group was exclusively men; though they would join with Hera's women's council to try a dispute between genders.

Hera, Zeus's wife, stood beside the next pedestal. She was not Thalia and Jason's mother, the two getting married after his first wife's death, and Thalia hated her. The women's council dealt with the disputes exclusively between women. and this is how the 2 met.

Next to the 3rd light was Dionysus. They were the brewers and being a very small discipline was the only excuse for electing the man they had to the leader's position. Every time I saw the man, he looked like he had spent the night before sampling his wares. Apparently his wines were second to none, but in my opinion the only use for alcohol was as disinfectant. Too many sailors were lost at sea after too much to drink, till my father had to take action and forbade the consumption of alcohol while at sea.

Next was Apollo. I had a lot of respect for his discipline, if not so much for their head. He may have been almost 30 but appeared in his early 20s. Apollo was the head of doctors and lawyers, though I imagined they had only elected the guy because they didn't want to waste their time in council meetings.

His sister was Artemis and she stood beside the 5th light. She was the head of the Hunters, as they liked to call themselves, and were basically contractors who would go between the cities doing jobs. These could range finding specific pieces of old-world technology, to putting down an especially large predator population (human or animal). The Hunters, much like the women's council, was filled solely with women... or should I say girls. Artemis was clearly the eldest Hunter but she had only just turned 22; no doubt this was caused by the dangerous nature of their work.

Next was Ares, a brute of a man (if a little slow). His group were the defenders of the city, the only ones allowed to bear arms in the city walls.

Demeter stood at the 7th podium and was the head of farming. Most of the food consumed within the city was produced by one of Demeter's underlings. She was a plain, older woman and had always been nice to my group; she always said we were too thin though, telling our parents to feed us more cereal... strange woman.

Next was the head of trading, overland transport and messengers, Hermes. He was a slight man and, much like with Apollo, had been elected so that his elders would not have to waste time with the position. They were all likely scared of missing the deal of a life time while stuck there. He was only 25 being elected last year when the former head had died of a heart attack.

Then came Aphrodite; she was an admittedly beautiful woman, though she wore too much make up for my tastes. A wedding was not official without the presence of her faction, though their main duties lay in childcare. While not an official part of their duties they all felt the need to set people up with each other, not doubt driven by the old god's power over love.

Annabeth's mum, Athena, was next. She wore a nearly identical dress to her daughter's... from how she looked in it; I figured I wouldn't be disappointed by how Annabeth looked in 20 years.

Beside the 11th pedestal was Hephaestus. He was not an attractive man but the weapon's he made were to die for... literally. Many people had been killed to procure their Hephaestus forged weapons. If you needed something made you invariably went to Hephaestus' lot; their factories made anything and everything produced in the city. A large number of factionless worked in the factories; the positions were highly sought after, as they were a very steady source of income.

Next were my father and Nico's, beside the 12th and 13th lights respectively. Hades was a slim sallow faced man and his faction dealt with the dead. Their number was filled with the embalmers, the funeral directors and the gravediggers. In my opinion it was a very depressing faction to be placed in, but Nico seemed overjoyed at the prospect. Who was I to disagree?

Soon Zeus announced the first name to be tested. "Nico di Angelo." His voice boomed around the room.

Nico walked onto the stage and, at the Zeus' direction, placed his hand into a hole set into the back wall. He turned soon after to watch the lights at the front of the stage, unconsciously favouring the pedestal beside his father. After a tense 30 seconds, he was rewarded by the light he hoped to light doing so. After a swift nod from his father, Nico left the stage and travelled down the tunnel that led from the room.

The testing of the others passed before my eyes in a blur. Interspersed between the many other teens to be tested, my circle all were tested. Annabeth followed her mother into Athena's faction. Jason joined his father on the men's council. Thalia, to my slight surprise, was chosen to be placed with Artemis. I don't know why this shocked me at all; Thalia was one of the most dangerous people I know. I knew she must be glad not to have been placed in her father's faction's counterpart... with her step mother.

After a few others it was finally my turn.

Despite my earlier bravado, my hands shook as I stepped onto the stage and made my way to the hole on the back wall. I looked quickly to my dad who, with an almost imperceptible nod, indicated that I should place my hand inside. The sharp pain of the needle, despite the fact that I knew it was coming, made me jerk slightly.

The purpose of the needle was to take a small amount of blood to run a test on my DNA. This piece of Old-World tech would then test to see where my potential would be best utilised. The result would then trigger the corresponding light at the front of the stage.

I turned and waited for the end of the longest 30 seconds of my life, my eyes never leaving the pedestal beside my father. I knew that was where I belonged, so why couldn't my stupid DNA get on with proving it?

A stifled gasp escaped the occupants of the hall, but I stared at the still dull light beside my father.

So I was wrong... I didn't belong with my father. I felt my eyes start to sting a little but supressed the unbidden tears.

I finally turned to see where my DNA has decided I should really be. As I slowly panned down the line, I saw the face of every faction head carried an expression of shock... all except one.

As the light from the pedestal lit one side of her face, Artemis stared at me with unyielding fury.

* * *

A/N - So what do you think?

I'm very sorry to all you Percabeth fans for pulling the rug out from under you :P. This is obviously going to be a Pertemis story but I hope the idea is original.

I knew I wanted to do Percy Jackson without powers but working out a way to then have Artemis in there... I was struggling. I played with several ideas... zombie apocalypse where she stumbles upon his already fully formed camp being the 2nd best... but this just seems right. This way I can show him going through personal growth etc.

Please review, both good and bad will help at this point as it gives me a chance to change things before they get set in stone.

Thanks for reading, Circa out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Run it again!" Zeus' voice cut through the tense silence; I stood still, not fully grasping what had happened.

"Come on Percy." My father's voice was soft as he guided me back from my daze. Dutifully I stuck my hand back into the opening on the rear wall.

As soon as I felt the sharp pain of the needle, I turned; I joined the rest of the room as they stared at Artemis' light, hoping in vain that there had been an error with the system. After 26 long seconds, the traitorous light once again blinked on.

Soon the room erupted in low murmurs which hushed when Artemis spoke.

"Go on then Percy," she said, venom coating every syllable, "go join the rest of the hunters." It sounded more like she wished to I would do pretty much anything else, but I wordlessly followed her instruction.

After walking down the short tunnel to the waiting representatives, I spotted Thalia talking to a couple of girls who appeared to be only a little older than us. As I walked toward them Thalia noticed me, and proceeded to hurry over to me.

"Hey Percy," she said jubilantly, "what took you so long? It's been almost 5 minutes since the last person came through... what gives?" Not knowing how answer her question, I chose to change the subject.

"Who were you talking to? Want to introduce me?" I tried to force some enthusiasm into my voice, lucky Thalia was oblivious to the strain in what I had said.

"Don't you want to go speak to your faction first?" She asked, before answering her own question. "I suppose you don't really need to. Your dad is Poseidon after all so you probably already know their welcome wagon."

As soon as she walked away, I muttered under my breath, "I am talking to my own faction"; Thalia didn't hear me, keyed up as she was.

"Phoebe, Tania... this is Percy. Percy, meet the Hunters' welcome wagon." They each give me a polite nod before turning to Thalia.

"Thalia... why are you introducing him to us?" The girl, Thalia had introduced her as Phoebe, inquired.

"Percy's my cousin. He is the son of Poseidon so he doesn't really need to meet them right away. I guess they already know each other pretty well."

Tania harrumphed. "Well why doesn't he run along to them now? I don't want to have to talk to him any longer than necessary. I'm only here to greet the new recruits... not their extended family."

I cleared my throat, readying my resolve, to which the hunter asked. "You have something to say... _boy_?"

The acid in her tone clearly indicated that she meant that as an insult... which it wasn't... but it made me realise that this was going to be _so_ much fun.

"Hi, Phoebe, Tania. My name is Percy Jackson," I took a deep breath, "I have just been made a Hunter."

The tension that resulted from my words could be sliced with a knife. The three of them just stood there in stunned silence. As the minutes dragged on, my fellow testers walked past; some threw sidelong glances at our silent grouping, but they knew what the problem was.

Eventually the last person filed past us and they were followed by the faction heads. My father gave me a sympathetic glance as he walked past, but didn't stop as he headed to his new members.

The Hunter's silence was broken when Artemis approached.

"Milady," Phoebe was the first to speak, surprising me with the deference she showed a woman who was young enough to be her sister, "what happened? Was there an error with the choosing?" She sounded hopeful.

"No. He was tested twice to make sure. Both times he was chosen to be made a Hunter." Artemis said in a deadpan voice.

"But there has never been a male in the Hunters before!" Tania replied rapidly.

"There has... once." Artemis said emotionlessly. "It was 50 years ago. His name was Orion... his story does not end well."

I found my voice. "What happened?" I wish I hadn't spoken. Artemis glared at me with angry eyes.

"He... took _advantage_ of the Hunters. After he had had his way with several, leaving them broken around the camp, he tried to escape." A malicious smile spread across her lips. "The Artemis at the time sent the hunting dogs after the beast and, when he was found, let the rest of the Hunter's watch as they tore him to pieces."

I shuddered. My overactive imagination had no problem with conjuring up the scene in my mind. A man surrounded by bloodthirsty dogs, in turn, surrounded by even more bloodthirsty girls. I swore to myself to never get into that position.

Pleased with my reaction, Artemis regarded the established Hunters.

"Tania, Phoebe, I would like you to go to our camp and let them know we have –" she visibly struggled to continue "– 2 new recruits starting tomorrow. Do not tell them the details. Dodge their questions until I return. I must speak to the women's council as to how to proceed now there is a man in our company."

"Yes, milady." They both said in unison before running off, assumedly to fulfil her instructions.

"Thalia," Artemis said with warmth in her voice, "_boy_," that 'insult' was used again, and in a far colder tone than Thalia's name was (wonderful... just wonderful), "you will spend tonight with your families. Make the most of it. It will be the last time you will do so. You will be at our camp 1 hour after sunrise." After finishing, she stalked off, not waiting for any retort.

"Percy –" she began. I could see her looking for something to say; but there was nothing. Nothing she could say could make my situation any better.

"Yeah, Thalia... I know." I said glumly and left to go home.

* * *

I stopped on my way back home to grab a bag of strawberries. It cost me all of the money I had on me but it was worth it.

The fruits were considered a delicacy since the only farm for them was 100 miles down the coast. The only way to get them here before they spoiled was by boat, which massively increased the price. Also, with the rough seas this time of year, many of them arrived bruised and could not be sold. This increased the price again until the prices became extortionate.

"Ah well, they taste nice." I said to myself aloud. Besides I needed something to get my mind off what was to come tomorrow.

I popped the last, delicious, strawberry into my mouth as I arrived at my house.

I waited for the sweetness to fade before I opened the door and, as expected, my family was waiting for me there. The silence dragged on until I spoke.

"I'm sorry dad." I mumbled, my eyes fixed on the floor.

"What are you sorry for, Percy?" The man himself asked, audibly confused. My mouth felt suddenly dry as I tried to voice my reply.

"For not being good enough to join the 2 of you in your faction. For being the wash-out son of Poseidon." I said bitterly.

After a beat of silence, dad roared with laughter. "You are apologising because you think the test proved you aren't good enough for my faction?"

"Well what else could it say?" I shouted back bitterly.

"My son, I have taken you out on the boats with me since you could walk. You have better sea-legs than a lot of my more experienced seamen. Also, I've never seen your equal in the speed and deftness with which you tie knots. If the test said that you are destined for the Hunters, it's not because you aren't good enough for my faction... it's because you would be even better with them."

After that my brother decided to cut in, with his usual wisdom. "I don't see what you have to be down about... 1 guy and _all _those girls... think of the possibilities." He continued into a daydream at a low murmur but I could only catch certain words. "... in a tent all alone..." and "... several at once..." were the only parts I heard; they were enough to turn my face an exciting shade of pink.

Dad had soon had enough, and chose to take me by the arm and lead me out of the room.

"I have a gift for you." He said as we entered his room.

"What is it?" I asked, wondering why he had come in here to give it to me. He didn't answer, but instead got on his knees and pulled something out from under the bed.

In his hands was a long wooden box; it must have been almost 4 foot long. It had obviously lain under the bed for years, untouched, since the polished oak carried a thick covering of dust.

He presented it to me.

"Thanks..." I said hesitantly as I took it, "it's a very nice box. I don't think I'll be able to take it with me though. From what I've heard the Hunters travel light."

My father just shook his head. "The gift is inside the box you dolt."

Cursing myself for being an idiot, I laid the box on the bed and opened it to reveal a sword.

The scabbard had obviously been oiled on a regular basis, despite the dusty condition of the box, since the leather had a dark, aged, look to it. The leather itself had been tooled to have a mesmerising, wave pattern running its length. I reverently removed the 3 and a half foot sword from the box and removed the scabbard a little to reveal the blade. It was obviously made of steel, like most of our weapons, but the blood trench forked into 3 arrow points. They formed a trident, the symbol of Poseidon's faction, on the blade aiming toward the hand guard.

"Where did you get this?" I asked in a whisper. My father smiled as he told me.

"My father gave it to me when I was named Poseidon. As my father gave it to me, I know give it to you. He told me that, if I carried it, the sea would always be there to protect me; as it will now protect you." Every word spoken resonated with a hidden depth.

I didn't know what to say, so I merely asked. "The sea will protect me?"

He laughed, the earlier gravity of his tone lost in his amusement. "Oh yes. I forgot to show you its name." With that he closed the lid of the box, and with his sleeve, removed the dust that was on the lid.

Seamlessly inlaid in the dark oak was another, lighter, wood. With the lighter wood, which was most likely pine, the box maker had spelled out a single word.

"Riptide." I read the sword's name aloud.

"The current that pulls you under." Dad said the words almost as if they were a spell.

"But why are you giving me this? It must be worth a fortune!" I exclaimed. I had noticed the crossed hammers, the symbol of a reigning Hephaestus, on the pommel. That meant it had been forged by a master smith.

"If you can use it to prevent the death of even a single person, then you will have justified my giving it to you."

We were both silent, taking in the solemnity of what he had just said. The youthfulness of the current Artemis was proof of one simple fact... Hunters died young. It was a dangerous world I was stepping into; I probably wouldn't live long enough to pass the blade onto a son of my own.

The mystery of the moment was broken as I felt a yawn build inside myself, which I released.

"Ha! Say goodbye to your brother then get to bed, my son. You no doubt have an early morning tomorrow and I bet a very long day fill follow it." My father chuckled, reminding me of Artemis' instructions earlier.

"Good idea dad. But I'm sure as hell not taking that wager!" I left the room with Riptide, in its case, under one arm.

After an awkward farewell with my brother, neither of us entirely sure how to say a possibly permanent goodbye, I headed into my room.

As I lay underneath the covers, I tried not to think about what could happen if I messed up the next morning. Try as I might, however, when I dreamt it was of myself running alone through the woods. The baying of the hounds as they pursued me, the only sound cutting the still night air.

* * *

**A/N - What did you think to my most recent chapter?**

**I had a lot of fun writing it. Hope you had as much fun reading it.**

**Thanks go out to my 2 reviewers so far.**

**To my unspecified guest - I'm glad you did and I plan to :)**

**To Hoo-Rah - Firstly, love the name. Secondly, thank you. I wanted to make my story original but I also wanted it to be Pertemis (something that is incredibly difficult to do!) I hope I don't disappoint you down the line.**

**To everyone who has faved or is following my story, thank you. A special shout-out to ILovesports for deciding to do both :P**

**I guess all that is left is to say... please review. Good and bad reviews appreciated. The former makes me want to write more while the latter will make what I write better.**

**If you ask a question in your review I will endeavor to answer it (though if it provides a spoiler I will PM it to you so that it doesn't ruin things for the readers who don't want to know.**

**I guess that's all... Circa out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Since Rick doesn't really talk about any of the Hunters, other than Zoe, Phoebe and Thalia, I will be grabbing my favourite female characters from the series and making them Hunters. I hope nobody minds**

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Chapter 3

In the chill morning air, I cover my mouth as a huge yawn escapes my body.

The Hunters' camp rested in the centre of a large field that would usually be used for grazing animals. The sun had not yet risen high enough to evaporate the dew from the grass, so every blade glistened; it gave the collection of tents an almost magical appearance.

The Hunters were already clearing up the pans from breakfast, adding weight to my theory that they rose with the sun... now that was going to be fun.

All eyes turned toward me as I strode, awkwardly, into camp with my new sword in a harness across my back. I would have attached it to my belt, like how I had seen the Ares faction carry theirs around the town, but realised that it would have made running needlessly difficult.

It was obvious that Artemis' orders from the previous day had been enforced. Every pair of eyes, other than Tania's and Phoebe's, showed varying degrees of confusion or alarm. The thought of what could replace those looks of confusion, after my new position was revealed, caused my palms to get sticky. The nightmare, where I was Orion, had replayed itself several times while I tried to sleep. It was safe to say that last night wasn't exactly... restful.

I spotted Thalia, standing alone by the side of one of the tents, and went over to join her.

"What's that on your back?" She asked when she noticed my approach.

"Good morning to you too." I muttered, purposely loud enough for her to hear.

"Yeah, yeah good morning... so what's that on your back?" She asked again, not being diverted.

With a sigh I pulled the blade from its sheath. I'd been practicing doing this since I woke up from the nightmare, for the 3rd time, as I'd given up trying to sleep. I obviously couldn't use the thing, but I didn't have to look like an idiot taking it out; when I tried after I first put it on, that's probably the best thing I could have been called...

"It was a present from my dad. He apparently got it from granddad when he became Poseidon. Dad said it would be of more use to me out here than sitting under his bed gathering dust." I didn't use his exact words, those seemed very personal, but what I said was true.

Thalia nodded and picked something from off the ground behind her. "Yeah my dad gave me his gift too." After I put away the sword, she handed me the large round shield that she had grabbed. "He said it is called Aegis."

The subject of the etching was striking. It depicted a woman, and she was beautiful; she had full lips and large eyes. The only thing that was odd was her hair... if you could call it that. Framing the perfect face were _dozens_ of hissing snakes. Every single one was made out in exquisite detail; every open mouth was shown to have fangs and a forked tongue. The attention to detail in regards to the picture was intimidating.

I handed it back, secretly glad that I had only gotten Riptide. That shield gave me an uneasy feeling that I couldn't shift.

Eager to hurry along the conversation, I asked. "So what are we waiting for?"

Thalia shrugged her shoulders. "I was told to wait here for Artemis... so that's what I'm doing."

We didn't have to wait long. After only a minute of us standing there in silence, Artemis came out of the tent.

"Hunters!" She called. "Gather round, I have new additions to introduce... to both the Hunt and the rules of the Hunt." That last part was new to me and, if the other faces were anything to go by, it was also something that rarely happened. "These recruits are Thalia Grace and... Percy Jackson" She _obviously_ hadn't got over the whole I'm a dude thing. What's a guy to do?

I chuckled quietly to myself as I realised that, what a guy does, was the whole problem. Artemis fixed me with a cold stare, and I figured laughing during her introduction might not be the best move; especially not when the introducer already hates you.

I heard a few of them mutter things like, "a man on the Hunt". Most sounded annoyed or openly hostile, while a couple sounded a little intrigued about the possibilities. As I looked at the source of one of the latter, I found I suddenly felt strangely naked; the look she gave me seemed to assess the body beneath my clothes, and I barely resisted the urge to cover myself with my hands.

Artemis continued, after letting the murmurs die down. "The new rule, as decided by myself and this town's women's council, is that there will be no romantic relations between the Hunters. Enough Hunters are lost as it is without losing you all to pregnancy. Have I made myself clear?" She asked the girls assembled before her.

"Yes, Lady Artemis." They all chorused back without hesitation. I hadn't exactly been planning anything like that, but realising I was probably going to die a virgin now really sucked.

"Clarisse, take the 2 recruits to the warehouse in the city and get them both kitted out please." She ordered one of the girls before leaving herself.

"Yes, milady." One girl, who I assumed was Piper, called to the retreating figure of her leader.

* * *

"Yeah... me and bows don't go well together." I was trying to explain why, even though I knew every Hunter used a bow, the weapon really wasn't for me.

Our town taught the bow to all young people as a part of the school curriculum... or maybe I should say they _tried_ to teach. Despite having held a bow twice a week since I could walk, my skills with it would make me more dangerous to the Hunters than my target.

"Trust me; a target is in more danger from that bow if it remains out of my hands." I told the girl ruefully.

Clarisse's brow furrowed as she thought. The girl was this town, probably why Artemis had chosen her for the job, and was only 3 years older than me. She was Ares' daughter so I kind of remembered her from my childhood, left outside the council meetings like Thalia and I, but because of the age we had completely different social groups.

"But you need some sort of ranged weapon. You can't hunt with a sword." She had a point, though...

"Do you have any slings; that should cover me at a distance for small prey? And maybe a set of throwing knives?" I asked. Knife throwing had sort of become a party trick of mine. I'd had enough of everyone making fun of my ineptitude with a bow so starting practicing that instead. The slinging had been the product of a misspent youth.

After a swift nod, Clarisse crossed to the other side of the warehouse and started rummaging through a different pile of weapons. With a cry of success, she emerged with both of the things I had requested and handed them to me.

The sling wasn't anything special, simple 2 foot leather thongs attached to either side of a leather pouch; I just placed it in my pocket. The knives, however, were simply awesome.

4 of them rested in a sheath which was designed to be worn on the thigh. After I removed one I noted the crescent move engraved over the centre of balance. They were each perfectly weighted; so once I got used to the arc they would use, every throw would be identical. The best part? There were 2 of them.

After thanking Clarisse, I strapped them on over my mottled green and brown trousers (Clarisse called them camo pants when she gave them to me) that were the standard issue for Hunters; I had 2 pairs of these as well as 2 of the silver hooded jackets, one for washing one for wearing, or so I was told. A pair of black combat boots completed my uniform.

As I turned back to Thalia, thoroughly proud of my haul, I saw her practicing little movements with a spear and her shield. Clarisse watched her approvingly; until Thalia, with a jolt, noticed her audience. She started to put the spear back where she had found it, but Clarisse stopped her.

"No, keep the spear. It isn't how we usually fight, but neither of you seem to be ordinary recruits." She said that with a sad shake of the head. "All that's left is your hunting knife for cleaning kills with and you are ready to go."

I strapped the blade horizontally along by belt behind me, and I was ready to go.

* * *

As we walked into the camp, I saw Artemis deep in conversation with an older woman.

"Ah... seems like you will be getting the last part of your _equipment_ now." Clarisse said, as she headed off to join a group of Hunters at the other side of the camp; she'd left before I could question her on the strange inflection she had given the word 'equipment', but I shrugged it off. I wouldn't have to wait long to find out what she meant by it; she did say were getting it soon.

Artemis heard us, as we walked toward her, and both of them turned; this revealed 2 small dogs, puppies most likely, on leads held by the stranger.

"Ah, you are back. I'd like to introduce you to Sarah La Rue." Sarah moved to shake both of our hands, while Artemis finished introducing her. "She is the hound trainer for Ares' faction, but she also breeds the hounds for the hunt."

"Unfortunately, we didn't have 2 of the correct age for training in the correct colouring. Usually all the hunt's dogs are bred from wolves, and will have silvery coats. Luckily we had 2 pups but, as you can see, she won't match the rest." Sarah told us.

She was right, I could tell. The puppy on the right, currently gnawing on her restraining lead, was a mottled grey like the other dogs I had seen around the camp. The other, who was currently just staring at me, looked vastly different. For one, she seemed to be much heavier built, even though I had been told they were roughly the same age. Secondly, and most importantly, she was a pure, unrelieved black.

"I would like you to choose your companion. You will be solely in charge of training and feeding her; the second will help improve your skills in hunting." Artemis said, indicating to the 2 dogs at Sarah's feet. Thalia and I moved forward and, luckily, went for the opposite hounds.

"The both of you have chosen. Percy," she indicated the black hound I had just started petting, "you chose the hound I hoped you would." She eyed the throwing knifes on my legs and the distinct lack of a bow and quiver, with disapproval. "It seems you have little intention of adhering to our traditions but, as it stands, I will allow it. Don't betray the trust I am placing in you by letting you join our ranks."

"Milady, what are their names?" My cousin asked.

"That is for you to decide. The tradition is for you to name your companion for how you wish them to end up, the traits you wish them to have." Artemis said with some gravity. It appeared she took this naming seriously.

Thalia thought for a moment; then decided. She bent down and looked into her dog's eyes.

"I will name you Lupa, after the ancient Roman wolf goddess. I read about how she was both kind but strong, and that is how I wish for you to be in your maturity."

"A very good name, Thalia." Artemis approved. "And you _boy_, what shall you name your hound?" She obviously wasn't over, incorrect, gender but I had other things on my mind. I knew the traits I wanted to express, but I couldn't think of a name that expressed them. Suddenly, my thoughts flashed back to my teacher from when I was 5 years old.

To my 5 year old self, she had been as large as a mountain though, overall, a nice person... until you crossed her. If you got on her bad side she would bite your head off, figuratively speaking. That is what I wanted my dog to be like; big, nice to my friends and vicious to my enemies. Maybe she could bite some heads off too... just not as figuratively.

I knew Artemis wasn't going to like the name I had come up with, but I didn't care. It was too perfectly what I wanted to express. I took a deep breath then looked into my new dog's eyes, like Thalia had done.

"Hey... Mrs O'Leary."

* * *

**A/N - So what did you think to this chapter?**

**This story is turning out to be far more popular than I had expected.**

**Now to thank my reviewers:**

**To Hoo-Rah - I'm glad you are enjoying it, and I don't plan to disappoint you either. :P**

**To Monkeybaby - Glad you think so :)**

**To JACarter - Here you go. As requested.**

**Thank you to all the followers and favers. It makes me very happy when I get an email to say another of you has joined the ranks :P**

**Other than that, please review. It helps the creative process when I get both good and bad ones, so keep them coming.**

**That's all for now. Circa out.**


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